Club History

During 1952 the then Rotol Engineering firm (later to become Dowty Rotol) had among its work force four of the founder members of what was to become the
Bowls Club, namely Tommy Morgan, Fred Legge, Fred Young and Cyril Vick. Three of these founder members presented cups to the Club, which are still played
for in the Dowty Club Competitions.

The first two years of the Rotol Bowls found all games played at the Churchdown Green. During this time the green at Staverton was being laid.
The Club's first president, Sir John Evetts, commissioned the French company Emtura to undertake the work, and the green came into use in 1954,
though without changing rooms or a pavilion. During these early days those facilities were kindly provided by the Rugby Club.
This was to happen again almost four decades later, for a short spell.

The pavilion, and then the ladies' changing rooms and the tool shed, were built by members as the Club grew, boasting at one stage some ninety members.

For many years the Dowty green was used for top County matches, before it took the honour as one of the county's heaviest greens,
needing masses of Desperate Dan's Cow Pie to play a full length jack!!

At a match in 1997, Dowty put out a rink of senior members quite by accident, where the combined age of the rink totalled 321 years.
This rink comprised the late Doug Sobey, Jack Sullivan, Fred Dowle (all former Club Presidents) and Jim Williams; as far as we know this has not been challenged.

In 2002 the Club celebrated its Golden Anniversary, and it was even more fitting that Club member Ken Manns became the County President.

In 2014, Anne Beaven was the Ladies County President. The Gloucestershire Ladies county game against Herefordshire was played on our green, and there was a Lady Presidents game also played on our green.